Packing crate



. Sejpt. 8, 1936. v .1. w. MONULTY lMCKING CRATE Filed June 1, 1955 J/v ff/vraie.

Patented Sept. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a packing crate, particularly for cantaloupes.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel crate construction wherein it is possible to pack fruit, all of said fruit being uniform in size.

Another object is to provide a novel crate which is stronger, which will not be broken by the nailing machine, and which will pack better in a shipping car.

A further object is to provide a novel crate construction whereby there is less likelihood of the end boards being knocked out during shipment in a car.

A feature of my invention is that in packing the melons in the crate, the same sized melons can be inserted in the corners, thus enabling the crate to be packed with melons of practically uniform size thruout.

Other objects, advantages and features of 1 nvention may appear from the accompanying drawing, the subjoined detailed description, and the appended claims.

In the .drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of my crate with the top boards removed.

Figure 2 is a side elevation from the inside of one of the crate ends.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, with the exception that the end is viewed from the outside, with parts broken away.

Figure 4 is an edge view of one of the crate ends.

Figure 5 is a plan view of one of the crate ends with the top board broken away.

In packing certain fruits, such as melons, it is the custom to use a crate of particular outside dimensions. Due to shipping requirements, the

outside dimensions of crates cannot be altered.V

In my crate the outside dimensions are retained, conforming to standard shipping requirements, but with my novel construction, there is provided additional space on the inside of the crate. Due to this additional space, it is possible to insert the same sized melons at the corners of the crate, and therefore, the melons are of uniform size thruout, which is highly desirable in the trade.

Also, the outer surface of the end boards of the crate are in the same plane, and when the crates are packing in a shipping car, the adjacent ends of the crates will abut, and jostling of the melons will not force the end boards of the crate outwardly.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, my crate comprises ends l, 2 which are joined by a plurality of side boards 3 and bottom boards 4. When packed, the usual cover boards (not shown) are nailed to the ends in the usual and well known manner.

My novel construction resides in the ends of the crate. Each end consists of a pair of vertical corner posts 5, 6. These corner posts are triangular in cross section and extend fromtop to bottom of the crate. Each corner post is rabbeted out at the top and bottom, as shown at l and 8. This rabbeting thus provides a shoulder 9 at both the top and bottom. The top and bottom end boards I0 and Il are set into the rabbets 1, 8, respectively, and are securely nailed to the corner posts. 'I'he end boards are set into the corner posts approximately one-half the thickness of the end boards. It will therefore be evident that the corner posts will be moved outwardly lengthwise of the crate a distance corresponding to the depth of the rabbets l, 8. This gives a greater inside length to the crate at the corners and permits melons to be inserted at the corners, approximately the same diameter as the other melons in the crate.

The center end board l2 is thinner than the end boards l0, Il and consequently, is nailed direct to the corner posts without rabbeting. With my construction, however, the outer surface of the boards lll, Il and I2 is in the same plane as shown in Fig. 4, whereas in construction of previous crates, the board l2 is set inwardly from the top and bottom boards. Also, in my construction, the force exerted on the ends of the crate is carried equally by all of the end boards when the crate is in the shipping car. The crates are set end to end and abut, and consequently, there is no tendency to knock out the center board due to the weight of the melons in the crate.

The shoulder S-upon which the top and bottom boards l0, l l rest-also adds materially to the strength of the crate, particularly, to a vertical force such as a nailing machine; and also relieves the nails of considerable strain when handling the crate.

Having described myV invention, I claim:

l. A shipping crate comprising a pair of ends, a plurality of side, top and bottom boards connecting the ends and nailed thereto, each of the ends including a pair of corner posts extending from the top to bottom of the crate, said corner posts being triangular in cross section, said posts being rabbeted out at the top and bottom thereof, top and bottom end boards set into the rabbets and nailed to the posts, and a center board between the end boards, said center board being of lesser thickness than the top and bottomboards.

2. A shipping crate comprising a pair of ends, a plurality of side, top and bottom boards connecting the ends and nailed thereto, each of the ends including a pair of corner posts extending from top to bottom of the crate, said corner posts being triangular in cross section, said posts being rabbeted out at the top and bottom thereof, said rabbeted parts extending from the top and bottom of the posts for the width of the top and bottom end boards.

JOSEPH W. MCNULTY. 

